Chapter 66: A New Member Joins
"So that's how it is… He detected that I was watching in secret. What terrifying perceptive ability! My Telescope Technique may be low-ranked, but even Kakashi and Guy were completely unable to sense my observation…"
Hiruzen's expression was tinged with gravity. He'd watched the entire "test" from start to finish, and it was precisely because he'd seen everything that the shock and weight now sat so heavily on him.
With the eye of a former Hokage, he could tell—
During his fight with Kakashi, Ryū had seemed somewhat wary of genjutsu.
But whether that was truly the case… Hiruzen couldn't be certain. Many ninja loved to disguise their greatest strength as a weakness, lulling their enemy into complacency before delivering a killing blow.
But that wasn't the main issue. The main issue was that this "Ryū"… when dealing with Kakashi—
Hadn't appeared to go all out even once. Kakashi's ninjutsu, taijutsu, Sharingan—
None of it had been able to do a thing to him.
As noted before, the only reason the fight had lasted as long as it did was Kakashi cycling through every bizarre technique in his arsenal to buy time. But the cost was obvious: his stamina and chakra had plummeted.
And then "Ryū" had effortlessly found an opening.
Before Kakashi could launch a jutsu—
Or rather, when his hand seals were only halfway done—
That bizarre movement technique brought Ryū directly in front of him in an instant.
Followed by a single, straight kick.
After which Kakashi was, naturally, on the ground.
Hiruzen mulled over the force behind that kick. If he'd taken it himself… his old back would probably give out, wouldn't it? There was a very real chance it would snap his aging bones in one shot.
Because even Kakashi—young as he was—appeared to have suffered fractures.
* * *
"Unexpectedly, overwhelmingly powerful. Even I, were I to face him—confronted with that bizarre taijutsu, and without sufficient intelligence to work with—might not necessarily be able to defeat that strange young man."
Hiruzen rummaged around nearby until he found a thick, heavy ledger.
It was the civilian population registry for Konohagakure, spanning the last twenty years.
Compiled by ANBU over the years.
He'd assumed it would never serve any real purpose.
He hadn't expected it to prove useful today.
"For now, we don't make contact with this Ryū. At the very least, until we've established the floor of his abilities, Konohagakure cannot afford a conflict with him. From what I can see, he doesn't seem to harbor any hostility toward the village… or is that simply because he himself is a Konoha resident?"
Flipping through the dense pages, Hiruzen murmured to himself: "Someone who's been able to hide his strength for over a decade… that kind of personality is the hardest to read. Even if he's just a teenager. What a headache…"
* * *
What was going through Hiruzen's mind right now was something Ryū, however far away, couldn't possibly know. He wasn't a mind reader.
But he could be certain that Hiruzen had noticed him.
Otherwise, why would he have spent all that time "sparring" with Kakashi?
He could've gone home to finish cleaning and then enjoyed some quality chatting time. Wouldn't that have been nicer?
Hmm… chatting did make one happy.
In the internet-free world of Naruto, Ryū was left with exactly two pleasures: eating every kind of delicious food he could find, and hanging out in the chat group.
Granted, the Dimensional Chat Group wasn't connected to any "internet" per se.
But it gave him the illusion of being online.
That more or less scratched the internet-addiction itch!
He was someone who'd just defeated Hatake Fifty-Fifty, for crying out loud…
And here he was, unable to kick his internet addiction.
Could life get any more real?
* * *
Back home, Ryū cleaned the last two rooms until they were spotless—practically sterile.
He was a shut-in, sure. But within the shut-in community, Ryū considered himself among the rare few who actually enjoyed cleaning.
He couldn't help it… seeing a messy desk or a dirty floor gave him a deeply uncomfortable feeling.
Mild OCD, probably.
But it was a good habit, at least.
Kept the place from becoming a disaster zone.
When his consciousness entered the Dimensional Chat Group, he froze in surprise. A look of bewilderment crossed his face as he scrolled through the chat log.
"This username… new face? When did a new member join?!"
Ryū muttered to himself, puzzled.
After a few minutes of scrolling, he found the new-member notification. Checking the timestamp… that was right around when he'd been "sparring" with Kakashi, wasn't it?
No wonder he'd missed the notification. Everything had been exploding nonstop at that point.
The notification sound played directly in his mind, true.
But if external interference was too intense, it was entirely possible to miss it.
A perfectly normal phenomenon.
So Ryū didn't think much of it.
"Hold on—this new member's username… Terrible Tornado?! One-Punch Man?!"
Ryū's expression turned peculiar.
Looked like a serious powerhouse had just joined!
* * *
Terrible Tornado: I never thought something this absurd could actually exist in this world. It's almost impossible to believe.
Terrible Tornado: Then again, on second thought… maybe it's not that weird.
Terrible Tornado: After all, my world already has monsters, espers… and all sorts of other things. Adding a Dimensional Chat Group is… I guess that's normal… AS IF!
Terrible Tornado: If my senses hadn't told me nobody was attacking me, I would have thought I was under assault by a monster!
Crazy Diamond: Superpowers… monsters… Looks like another big shot just walked in.
The Eternally Seventeen-Year-Old Maiden: Ara? The new member's adapting pretty quickly! Just a little explanation and she's already on board with the whole Dimensional Chat Group concept.
We, Ying Zheng: At long last, We are no longer the newest member. It has not been easy!
Terrible Tornado: Your usernames are all so weird. Crazy Diamond? The Eternally Seventeen-Year-Old Maiden? Hmm… 'Eternally Seventeen'? Your actual age must be pretty old, right? No normal person would pick a username like that.
* * *
In Gensōkyō, Ran Yakumo was in the middle of simmering a pot of "Sea King Rejuvenation Soup" when she heard a soft crack.
She looked down.
At some point, a web of tiny fractures had spread across the floor beneath her feet.
She followed the cracks to their source—and her face went blank.
Her master, Yukari Yakumo, had—at some unknowable moment—pressed one hand into the floorboards hard enough to split them open.
What on earth was radiating that much murderous intent?
Through gritted teeth, Yukari hissed, barely audible: "Curse it all… kisama… After the Admin, now there's yet another person mocking this one's username!"
Ran: "???"
Oh no, oh no. Had this gap youkai come down with a fever? Maybe they should just…
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